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Another Bug Hunt: A Tangled Web He Weaves

All of the survivors try to escape by traveling through the sphincter. Ink finds and uses a peculiar but effective alien weapon. Hinton attempts to use the Carcs for galactic domination. Zeke fights an uphill battle of intelligence and will against Hinton and ends up in a coma. Murderbot, Carnoc, and Novikov defeat Hinton and escape with his head, at the cost of Murderbot's life. Everyone is infected by the Carcs, including Moss remotely, but Dr. Edem is eventually able to cure them all. The crew receive their payment and wonder whether it's worth the price they paid.

Episodes in module: Another Bug Hunt

The Survivors

  • everyone else goes gathers supplies
    • take all the explosives since they're the most effective
  • all survivors enter into the sphincter
  • water is slowly coming into the tunnel, there's only about an inch
  • shortly after entering the tunnel, groups are able to contact each other on comms

Exploring

An Alien Arm

  • Ink and Murderbot don't think there's anything more to do with the grate
  • They try to navigate through the metallic web in the other branch of the tunnel

Pushing through the metallic web in the tunnel

Pushing through the metallic web in the tunnel

  • The webbed tunnel opens into a large cylindrical chamber
    • warty polyp in the center
    • protruding from the polyp is a 3 meter long carc-like limb
    • there are 2 metallic nodules embedded in the floor
      • one is a bit more recessed
    • fleshy, calcified tendrils as thick as your forearm crisscross the room

Room with alien arm and 2 metallic nodules in the floor

Room with alien arm and 2 metallic nodules in the floor

  • Ink and Murderbot look for footprints
    • difficult to recognize anything with the organic floor and many marks on it
    • the marks could be from Carcs walking
      • they continue up the wall
    • Ink finds a tight seam that looks very difficult to pry open
  • Studying the walls, Murderbot notices slight movement
    • like something moving under the skin
  • Ink and Murderbot describe the room to Dr. Edem
    • Dr. Edem recommends manipulating the arm to touch various objects
  • Ink moves the arm to touch one of the metallic nodules
    • electricity arcs between the arc and the nodule as it approaches
    • the arm snaps into place
    • a wall opens up (not the place with the seam)
    • a passage behind it angles upwards
  • other group arrives at the metallic webbing
    • ask scout group for confirmation and then push through
    • Ink and Murderbot wait 10 minutes for them to arrive in the room
  • Ink moves the arm to the other metallic nodule
    • open door shuts
    • door opens at the seam to an adjacent room with a pool of liquid in the center

Finding a Peculiar Weapon

  • rifle-sized tube connected by umbilical cord to a sac with fleshy straps coming off it
    • top of the tube has fleshy finger length spines growing out of it

Ink finds a peculiar alien weapon

Ink finds a peculiar alien weapon

  • Dr. Edem is fascinated by this
    • Dr. Edem: "I don't think it's a Carc itself, it might be one of their creations."
    • Murderbot: "They can create things?"
    • Dr. Edem: "They are, in my estimation, a higher form of evolution than we are"
  • Ink asks Dr. Edem how to extract the artifact
    • Ink dips his pulse rifle into the liquid
    • it doesn't react
    • Dr. Edem collects a sample of the liquid
  • Ink goes in the water and starts flailing around
    • marines do not appreciate the joke
  • Ink pushes the sac and it feels soft like it has liquid inside
    • Ink takes the sac and puts it on his back
    • tube is attached to the sac
  • Dr. Edem examines the fleshy tendrils in the main room

Valdez Makes a Plan

  • Ink moves the arm back to the first nodule
  • locator shows Hinton is nearby
    • gets even closer and we go up the passage
  • Valdez doesn't appreciate the complete lack of a plan
    • she's freaking out about all of the weird alien shit
    • wants to leave the civies behind with a couple marines to guard
    • Yang and Pedro stay behind to guard the civies Edem, Sobol, and Kawaguchi
  • Valdez, Tanaka, and Novikov accompany us further up the passage
    • after 100m it opens up into a cavernous area
    • 3 staircases, each of which has a Carc noble (4 stories tall)
    • Carc nobles appear to be wrapped in webbing
    • hundreds of Carcs around the chamber

Carc Noble Chamber

Hinton and the Machine

  • Hinton is working on a machine
    • Carcs nearby aren't bothering them
      • they seem to be standing guard
    • Dr. Jenson is near Hinton, who is not wearing a hazard suit

Hinton, connected to a neurological scanner, and Dr. Jenson

Hinton, connected to a neurological scanner, and Dr. Jenson

  • Zeke recognizes the machine as similar to a neurological scanner
    • cables extend to Carc nobles' heads, connected to their exposed brains
  • Ink cycles through comms channels trying to contact Jenson
    • Valdez assists by detailing which channels they use
    • no response from Jenson
    • Ink retreats to the tunnel to yell louder
    • Murderbot watches Jenson discreetly put on his helmet and lets Ink know
  • Ink informs Dr. Edem about this room
    • Yang: "Edem, get back here!"
    • Jenson's background is geology, so Edem isn't sure why he's here
  • Carnoc looks at Hinton and Jenson through binoculars
    • Jenson has paper cut scars and appears to be infected
    • Hinton doesn't look infected
      • Edem thinks that it's not possible for synths to be infected
  • Murderbot looks through binoculars and notices Hinton has a pulse rifle
  • Zeke looks at the machinery through binoculars
    • notices some text on the monitor
    • Hinton appears to be trying to download his psyche to the Carc brain
    • Dr. Edem speculates on why he might want to do this
      • controlling the Carcs?
      • understanding what it's like to be a Carc
    • Edem mentions Hinton was studying Carc languages

Contacting Jenson

  • Carnoc aims at Hinton in case things go south
  • Valdez tries to talk to Jenson
    • Jenson: (whispering) "I can't really talk"
    • Valdez: "We need to know what Hinton is doing"
    • Valdez: "We're trying to get you out of there"
    • Valdez: "If we can get you and Hinton out of there, we can get off this rock with our lives"
    • Valdez: "Can you lure Hinton away from this area, because all those Carcs could be bad news for us?"
  • Jenson talks to Hinton off comms and then summarizes to the crew:
    • "Hinton's not going to leave."
    • "He plans to download himself into the Carc and rule over this.. what he calls superior species."
    • "He's almost done, too."
  • Zeke: What is his intention with these CARCs, other than to rule?
    • Zeke: Does he want to attack?
    • Jenson: His plan is to eliminate the other Carc nobles and be the sole noble living.
    • Jenson: Then from there... he would like to enslave all other races.
  • Carnoc: "Say I shoot his head off..."
    • Carnoc: "Most of his conscience will be in that machine, and we can bring the machine back."
    • Murderbot: "But how is it controlling the Carcs?"

Carc Communication

  • Zeke: "Why aren't the Carcs attacking you right now?"
    • Jenson: "He's been able to speak with them"
    • "He can emit the proper noises, it's not human"
    • "I couldn't do it, and I don't know what he's saying"
  • Murderbot asks Jenson to get some recordings of Carc language
  • Murderbot wants to try talking to the Carcs over Jenson's radio
    • Jenson thinks this is a dumb idea
    • Jenson stands by a Carc and Murderbot tries to talk to it
    • Murderbot: "That being in front of you is intending to do you harm."
    • Murderbot: "Do not allow it to complete its task."
    • no reaction from the Carc
    • either it's not loud enough or Murderbot isn't making the right sounds
  • Jenson says Hinton's transfer is 90% complete

Disconnecting the Noble

  • we climb over to the Carc noble and start disconnecting electrodes
    • Jenson: "That's it, you stopped the download. It's interrupted."
    • we hear some screeching
    • Murderbot interprets: "Something must have interrupted the connection."
    • Hinton blames the Carcs
    • Jenson climbs up, which takes 10 minutes
  • Jenson: "Oh thank god. Let's get the fuck out of here."
  • Jensen refuses to go back and tell Hinton that he can't fix it
    • Jenson heads towards the exit
  • Zeke puts on the electrodes

Zeke connects himself to the electrodes removed from the Carc noble

Zeke connects himself to the electrodes removed from the Carc noble

  • Zeke starts convulsing
    • Dex pulls the electrodes off
    • Zeke stops convulsing but he's comatose

Confuse-a-Carc

Carnoc takes a shot at Hinton with his pulse rifle

Carnoc takes a shot at Hinton with his pulse rifle

Confronting Hinton

  • Carnoc shoots at Hinton again
    • hits a Carc and kills it
  • Carnoc suggests someone toss his grenade at Hinton
    • Ink considers it and decides not to
  • Ink unloads his whole pulse rifle clip at Hinton
    • grazes off some Carcs, angering them
    • doesn't hit Hinton
  • Murderbot: "We must take down the impostor known as Hinton"
    • "He was trying to take over a noble and kill the others"
    • "You don't want to be enslaved"
  • Carcs begin fighting each other
  • Novikov decides to throw a grenade at Hinton
    • Valdez: "What the fuck, Novikov?"
    • the grenade lands at Hinton's feet and explodes
    • sends shrapnel into the machine
    • Hinton's hair is set on fire but he doesn't look wounded
  • Tanaka keeps helping Dex carry Zeke
  • Valdez tries to convince Novikov to leave
  • Hinton unloads his pulse rifle at Novikov
    • Hinton shrieks and Murderbot identifies it as the infection signal
    • paper cut scars appear on everyone
  • Murderbot scales down the hill to Hinton quickly
    • slips and falls down near Hinton

Murderbot charges at Hinton

Murderbot charges at Hinton

Hinton breaks Murderbot's arm

Hinton breaks Murderbot's arm

Murderbot grabs Hinton's head

Murderbot grabs Hinton's head

Escape

Firing the Alien Weapon

  • Ink tries to use the gun sac
    • pulls one of the finger appendages back and it cracks and breaks
    • sac collapses a bit and liquid shoots out
    • liquid lances through multiple Carcs, cutting them in half
  • Murderbot: "This is what happens if you don't listen to me"

Getting A-Head but Falling

  • Murderbot tries to throw Hinton's head near Ink and Carnoc
  • Carcs begin to harmonize their screeching
    • Carnoc and Ink feel the noble under them begin to shift
  • Dex and Tanaka stumble a bit carrying Zeke
  • Dr. Edem: "This is all quite fascinating. Shouldn't we wait to see what happens?"
    • we remind Dr. Edem that we're all infected and they need to cure us
    • Dr. Edem agrees to leave
  • Carnoc uses a stimpack and then runs
  • Ink slips but Carnoc is able to stabilize him
  • On the way out, Ink loses the backpack
  • we flee down the tunnel
    • walls begin to pulse
    • looks like something is moving under the surface
    • feels like everything is vibrating
  • Dex moves the arm to close off the door

It's a Ship?

  • we reach the hallway with the human appendages
    • seems like the hallway is filling with gas
  • we turn into the main tunnel
    • water is now up to our ankles
    • hear a loud cracking noise like a mountain has collapsed
    • tunnel behind us is sucked up into the atmosphere
    • everything settles
  • Dex looks out where the tunnel used to be, and it's open sky
    • like he's looking out the side of the mountain
    • don't see anything above
  • return to the terraforming base
    • don't see any sign of the Carcs

Communications Tower

  • we cross the bridge to the communications tower
    • find a dead Carc hooked up to a broadcasting system
    • collect it for later analysis
  • check outside and find Underhill's body
    • with a Wilbur Mark II anti-material rifle
    • dead synth dog nearby
  • return to the ship

On the Ship

Moss is Infected Too

  • Moss is covered in paper cuts too
    • must have been infected by the Carc wired up at the communications console

Moss has the Carc infection

Moss has the Carc infection

Curing the Infection

  • Dr. Edem tries to synthesize a cure
    • is eventually able to cure everyone on board

Review

  • we review Hinton's files
    • he hooked the Carc up to broadcast the infection signal
    • discovered the tunnel and found the Carc nobles
    • made his plans to take over the Carcs
  • do we think the Carc transmission escaped the system?
    • only our ship was in the system
    • but Hinton's memory core contains the infection signal
  • Moss wires our payment
    • 2 months salary + 1 month hazard pay (at 1.5x)
    • each month, paid
      • 500 per trained skill
      • 1000 per expert skill
      • 2000 per master skill
  • cost to heal wounds
    • 18K to heal wound
    • 100K to cure Zeke's coma

Travel

  • travel to base will take a month
  • everyone except Moss must enter cryo sleep